


we lay here for years or for hours

by azulawasright



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, I'm Bad At Summaries, Nonbinary Link (Legend of Zelda), Prince Link and Knight Zelda, Role Reversal, Title from a Hozier Song, because im nothing if not a lesbian, i wrote link as nb because im nb, i wrote this for a gift exchange, idk what else to tag this as, like twice maybe, somewhat canon compliant, theres a plot twist of sorts, this is just six pages of self indulgence, zeldas bastard dad was mentioned very briefly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25007125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azulawasright/pseuds/azulawasright
Summary: zelda and link have a nice day out in hyrule field
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	we lay here for years or for hours

Link stared at Zelda, four steps ahead of them, leading them through Hyrule Field like she knew it like the back of her hand. Zelda practically lived out here, or at least that was what she told Link a few nights after she had been appointed their knight. Link never asked for a royal guard, they could take care of themself, thank you very much. Not that their father ever listened to them. Link bumped into Zelda’s back, not noticing the knight had stopped walking. 

“Lost in thought?” Zelda teased, giving Link a small smirk and laughing a bit when she was met with a playful glare. It had been almost two months since Zelda had been appointed Link’s guard, and she was so glad Link was finally starting to warm up to her. Zelda looked out over the field, at the wildlife running around freely. “It’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it?” she asked.

Link looked out as well, eyes focusing on a fox happily frolicking through the tall grass. “It is,” they said, sitting down and wrapping their arms around their legs to rest their chin on their knees. What they wouldn’t give to be as free as that fox, they thought, barely registering Zelda taking a seat next to them. Link glanced over at Zelda and gave her a small smile. She was a beautiful girl, Link thought before blushing brightly. “Tell me about what it was like growing up outside of the castle?” they requested, eyes not leaving the fox.

Zelda hummed in thought. “My mother died when I was very young, causing my father to be distant. I basically raised myself out here,” she said. “I can tell you which plants are poisonous and which ones aren’t, I could tell you where every Lynel, Hinox, and Talus are in each region, along with how many times I’ve defeated them… I could tell you stories from each region of Hyrule... I’m a well-traveled girl,” she said, giving Link a cheeky smile.

Link let out a soft laugh. It was amazing how they’d led such different lives and yet some twist of fate had brought them together. “Tell me about the first time you took down a Hinox,” they requested.

Zelda smiled and nodded. “Of course, my prince,” she said, taking a breath before recalling the story. “I was eleven years old, and visiting the Zora Domain for the first time. I went alone, of course, my father was never one to travel, and I had gotten a bit lost along the way, making my way up to Ralis Pond. I really could not tell you how that happened,” she admitted, letting out a soft laugh. “I suppose the world is so much bigger when you’re a child.

Anyway, I used the pond to refill my canteen, and roughly halfway through refilling, a tree was thrown at me, missing me by a few feet. I pulled out my sword and turned to the direction the tree had come from and a blue Hinox was staring me in the face. Looking back on it, I probably should have just run away, but something told me to stay and fight, so I did. I must have fought the damned thing for hours before I finally slayed it. I felt… Almost bad for it as it lay there dying in front of me, but it attacked first, and I was a child,” she said, biting her lip. “That’s how I got the scar on my face. I got a bit too close, and a bit too cocky,” she said, bringing a hand up to brush over the scar.

Link looked over to Zelda and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I was wondering how you got it, but I thought it would be rude to ask,” they said before pulling their hand back and blushing so hard the tips of their ears went red. 

Zelda blushed as well when Link tucked her hair behind her ear, though not nearly as deep as Link was blushing. “It wouldn’t have been rude to ask. I’d tell you anything you wanted to hear,” she said, smiling at Link before laying back down in the grass.

Link laid down next to Zelda, biting the inside of their cheek. “I wasn’t allowed out of the castle until I was fifteen,” they said, turning onto their side. “The first time I left I tried to run away. I made it all the way to the stable outside Rito Village before I was caught,” they added, letting out a soft laugh and folding their arms over their chest. “In hindsight, I probably should have brought some clothes that didn’t look so… Royal.”

Zelda couldn’t help but stare at Link as they told Zelda about how they tried to run away. “Please don’t take offense to this, but if I was raised in the castle I probably would have tried to run away as well,” she said, laughing softly.

Link stared at Zelda as she laughed, never wanting the sound to stop. “I could never be offended by that,” they said when they regained their composure, pretending not to notice the blush on Zelda’s cheeks. “You’ve seen the way they treat me. I’m under constant surveillance. My every move is reported back to my parents,” they said, running a hand through their hair and sighing.

“Not every move,” Zelda reassured Link, giving them a warm smile. “Your parents don’t even meet with me, they trust me so much. Being the goddess’s chosen warrior has some perks, I suppose,” she said, resting her hands behind her head and watching the clouds roll by. “It’s going to rain soon,” she observed.

Link mimicked Zelda’s position, resting one hand on their stomach instead of behind their head before squinting up at the sky. “I don’t believe you. There isn’t a rain cloud in sight,” they said, closing their eyes. 

For a moment, out here with Zelda, Link could forget their royal duties and pretend they were just Link. Not Prince Link at all. They really appreciated that Zelda treated them so normally whenever it was just the two of them, and wondered how they could possibly thank Zelda for making them feel so… Normal.

Link and Zelda laid there in the field for what felt like hours, just enjoying being close to each other, when suddenly a crack of thunder was heard overhead, and it started pouring rain on both of them.

Link shot up first, standing up and running towards a nearby tree for cover, Zelda a few steps behind them, covering them with her jacket to shield them from the rain. When they were both under the safety of the tree, Zelda grinned at Link. “Do you believe me now?” she asked.

Link rolled their eyes and nodded. “Only because it’s literally pouring out there,” they said, reaching out and taking Zelda’s wrists in both their hands. “You’re soaked. You’ll catch a cold,” they said, reaching out and tucking Zelda’s hair behind her ears without a second thought. 

“I’d rather it be me than you,” Zelda said, dropping her jacket to the ground and wrapping her hand loosely around Link’s wrist. She and Link stared at each other for a few moments in comfortable silence before Zelda leaned in. “You can stop me if this is too far,” she said, her voice barely audible over the sound of the rain pouring down around them. Zelda gave Link a few moments to push her away if it was too much before closing the gap between them, pressing her lips to Link’s in a chaste kiss.

Link blushed when they felt Zelda’s lips on theirs before humming contently into the short kiss. When Zelda pulled away from the kiss, Link found themself chasing after her, wanting more. They blushed in embarrassment when they heard Zelda’s laugh before wrapping their arms around her neck and kissing her softly. They hummed when they felt Zelda’s arms settle around their waist and let the kiss linger for a few moments before pulling away and leaning their forehead against Zelda’s.

“I’ve wanted to do that since I met you,” Zelda admitted, bringing a hand up to gently cup Link’s face. She’d never noticed until then, but she was taller than Link, having to lean down slightly to press her forehead against theirs. 

“Then why didn’t you?” Link asked, leaning into the hand that was cupping their cheek. They both knew the answer, of course. If Link’s father found out that the two of them had feelings for each other, Zelda would have been banished, goddess’s chosen hero or not. 

“Because I’m an idiot,” Zelda chose to say instead of the words they were both thinking. She pulled away from Link slightly to sit up against the tree, heart skipping a beat when they sat down next to her and laid their head on her shoulder. “I doubt this’ll let up any time soon,” she said, looking up at the rain and then nuzzling her nose against the top of Link’s head. She grinned at the laugh the prince let out before kissing them again and again, lost in the feeling of finally being able to press her lips to theirs. 

“I don’t want to go back to the castle,” Link said, hiding their face against Zelda’s neck and sighing softly when she started to run her fingers through their hair. “I wish we could run away together and ignore our responsibilities.”

Zelda couldn’t help but laugh at that. “We have a duty to our people, Link. As nice as it would be to run away together… We can’t. We’ve got to save the world first,” she heard herself say before the memory faded away. Zelda blinked and looked around the spot where the memory took place, a hundred years ago. 

Zelda, she heard, looking around to try and see where the voice was coming from. You’ve recovered your final memory. You’re ready, my love. It’s time for you to face Calamity Ganon and end his reign of terror once and for all. As the voice called out to her, Zelda recognized it almost immediately. It was Link, calling out to her from the castle. A hundred years had prepared her for this moment, she thought as she looked at the castle. She had regained all of her memories of her journeys with Link and freed all of the Divine Beasts from Ganon’s control. She was more than ready.

Zelda stood up and gripped her sword, staring at the castle glowing faintly in the distance. I don’t know if you can hear me, Link, but I’m coming, she promised, starting to make her way to the castle.

**Author's Note:**

> my piece of the zelda discord's gift exchange, written for my very good friend sionainn!! >:3c


End file.
